No Pool? Go Swimming Anyway, All Over the Hudson Valley & Catskills

Bear Mountain State Park pool.

This week on Upstater, we’ve been featuring properties with pools, but even if you don’t want a pool at home, there are still plenty of places to swim in a pool all over the Hudson Valley and Catskills. Here are just a sampling of some of the public pools around the Upstater area:

Bear Mountain State Park, Tompkins Cove, Orange County: As evidenced by the photo above, the Bear Mountain State Park is huge. Want even more room? Go during the week early in the day, and you might just get most of the pool to yourself. It’s cheap, too. $10 will cover your parking, and $2 will cover your admission to the pool. You’ll also have access to trails and the rest of the park, so make a day of it. Pool hours can change from year to year anywhere, so make sure you check the website before you head out. https://parks.ny.gov/parks/13/details.aspx

Ulster County Pool Complex, New Paltz, Ulster County: Popular with families, the Ulster County public pool is located just outside of New Paltz village in Ulster County. The complex includes an Olympic sized pool and two kiddie pools, all with lifeguards on duty. Other perks include locker room, showers, snack bar, picnic tables, and swimming lessons during the summer. Adults cost $5, kids 12 and under $2, and seniors 60 and over $1. Consult the website for hours. http://ulstercountyny.gov/public-works/ulster-county-pool-complex

Andretta Pool, Kingston, Ulster County: The city of Kingston’s only public pool, the Andretta Pool is situated adjacent to Dietz Stadium in Uptown Kingston, right across the street from the Trailways bus station. The six-lane, 25-meter pool is within walking distance of some great family-friendly stuff in Kingston, including Forsyth Nature Center and park with playground, tennis and handball courts, and picnic tables. Grab breakfast, lunch, or pastries from Deising’s Bakery in uptown. Call 845-331-1628 for hours. Admission is $5/adults for non-Kingston residents, $2 for kids 12 and under. Check the city of Kingston website for more info.

Athens Pool, Athens, Greene County: This historic village of Athens sits directly across the Hudson River from the city of Hudson in Columbia County, and while Athens is smaller and sleepier than Hudson, we love its picturesque location and cool, historic architecture and homes. Athens also has a hidden public pool at the end of a dead-end street in a residential neighborhood near in the village (Google map). In fact, it’s a great place to have a kid’s birthday party in the summer, thanks to the inclusion of a kiddie pool, lifeguards, and snack bar. Here’s the catch. The Athens pool is membership only. This application is from 2014, but it should give you an idea of the cost. For more information on membership and booking a party, visit the Athens Pool Facebook page.

Worth the Trip:

Victoria & Peerless Pools, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County: Yes, Saratoga Springs is not in the Upstater area. However, it’s not that far north of Albany, and the Saratoga Spa State Park alone makes it worth the roadtrip. Trails, natural springs, educational kiosks, shaded picnic areas galore, visitors center, food, performance space (SPAC),and two pools. The Victoria pool was the first heated pool built in the country and can accommodate 350 swimmers max. That’s a lot of splashing space (we know from personal experience that this pool is big). Admission is $8/adults, $4/kids 5-11, $4/seniors ($8 on weekends/holidays), and kids under 5 are free.Also at Saratoga State Park: the Peerless Pool complex has a pool the size of a football stadium with kiddie pool, waterslides, lifeguards, and cheap admission, $2/adults, $1/children 5-11, free for kids under 5. Check the website for more info.